Hey Blue Eyes
by MustBeAWriter
Summary: Castle makes an astonishing discovery that dredges up secrets and memories long shoved to the back of his and Kate's minds. Eventual Caskett. Rating may go up, but no higher than T. ON HIATUS
1. Meeting Chloe

_*Okay, this is an idea that I've had bouncing around in my head for quite some time. Just go with it, okay? This is set in early Season 1, right after A Chill Goes Through Her Veins, so Castle already knows about Johanna's murder. I really don't feel like giving away the entire plot, so, again, just go with it. Happy Reading!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Castle._

(Castle)

Rick Castle heaved a sigh as he stepped off the elevator, Beckett's reprimands still ringing in his ears. He figured that he should probably stop pushing her buttons, or at least tone it down a little. At the rate things were going, he was surprised that she hadn't shot him yet, or at least kept her promise to break both of his legs.

He settled down in the chair beside her desk, not wanting to push his luck by getting caught sitting in her desk chair. He drummed his fingers on her desk, trying to think up an appropriate apology.

"Yo, Writer Boy, where's Beckett?" Esposito asked, striding into the bullpen with Ryan hot on his heels.

Castle pouted. "She's with Lanie and the body," he replied, pulling out his phone and playing with it halfheartedly. Ryan raised a questioning eyebrow, causing Rick to sigh loudly. "I got kicked out of the morgue," he admitted.

Esposito smirked. "By Beckett or Lanie?" he asked.

Castle stared at his phone. "Both," he confessed.

Both Ryan and Esposito snorted with laughter. "I'm not even gonna ask what you did, bro," Ryan chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Esposito agreed, grinning maliciously. "Why ask you when we can get the full, un-biased version from Beckett herself?"

Castle's pout deepened. "You guys are mean," he said, standing up and starting for the break room. "I'm going somewhere where no one's going to make fun of me." He walked to the break room quickly, Ryan and Esposito's renewed laughter ringing in his ears.

He entered the break room and immediately stopped short at the unusual sight before him. A little girl, maybe five or six years old, was sitting at the table, coloring contentedly. Her curly, chestnut hair was pulled into two pigtails, and she was biting her lip in concentration. She looked incredibly familiar, but Castle couldn't place where he'd seen her before.

"Hi there," he said gently, trying not to startle her.

The girl looked up at him with piercing blue eyes. "Hello," she said shyly, giving him a timid smile.

"Whatcha doin?" Castle asked, sitting down across the table from her.

She looked up at him, then back at her coloring book, then back at him. She wrinkled her nose in adorable confusion. "Coloring," she said slowly, as though questioning his intelligence.

Castle chuckled. "I can see that," he teased. "I meant what are you doing in here? Are you waiting for someone?" he asked, figuring she probably belonged to a witness or a suspect.

"I'm waiting for my mommy," she said simply, returning to her coloring book.

Castle nodded, his theory confirmed. "Did she have to come talk to the police?" he asked.

The girl giggled. "No, silly," she chided. "She _is_ the police."

"Oh." Maybe he should stop assuming things… "Your mommy's a cop, then?"

She nodded, beaming proudly. "Uh-huh. She's a de-tec-tive," she said, her brow furrowing as she sounded out the last word. "I usually stay with Grandpa, but he had a meeting today, so I had to come here."

Castle nodded in understanding. "Does that happen a lot?"

The girl shook her head, her pigtails swinging back and forth. "No. Mommy doesn't like me being here. I have a babysitter, but she's sick this week." She looked up at Castle, her expression worried. "Mommy also doesn't like it when I talk to strangers," she said apologetically.

"That's very smart of her," Castle replied. "What if we introduce ourselves? That way, we won't be strangers, and we can keep talking."

The little girl mulled this over for a minute before nodding. "Okay," she said.

Castle held out his hand. "My name is Richard."

"I'm Chloe," she said, wrapping her tiny hand around two of his fingers and shaking.

Castle's heart flooded with affection for the little girl. She reminded him a lot of Alexis when she was that age. "It's very nice to meet you, Chloe," he said. "Can I see what you're coloring?"

Chloe nodded enthusiastically, shoving her coloring book across the table to him. He studied the picture of a puppy and kitten with wide, impressed eyes. "Wow," he said. "You're pretty good."

Chloe beamed. "Mommy says that, too." She wrinkled her nose again. "But Grandpa says I'm too literal."

Castle laughed. It was definitely true. The picture was colored with precise attention to detail, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, like purple spots or pink grass. Again, he was reminded forcibly of Alexis.

Chloe frowned, pulling the coloring book back to her side of the table. "Hmpf," she groused, clearly not fond of being laughed at. "And I was gonna let you color a picture, too," she muttered darkly.

Castle cleared his throat, getting his laughter under control. "I'm sorry, Chloe," he said sincerely. "I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings. You just remind me of my own daughter, that's all."

"You have a daughter?" Chloe asked, her interest piqued.

"That I do," he confirmed with a grin. "Her name is Alexis, and she is very smart."

Chloe's eyes widened. "And I remind you of her?" she asked, awestruck.

Castle nodded solemnly. "Scarily so."

"How old is she?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Alexis is fifteen," he replied. "She'll be sixteen in August."

Chloe's eyes widened even more. "Wow. She's _old_."

Castle chuckled. "If you think fifteen is old, remind me to never tell you my age. You'll think I'm ancient."

The little girl rolled her eyes. "Gimme a break. I'm only five."

Castle sighed dramatically. "Well, since you're _only five_, I suppose I can let it slide."

Chloe giggled, sizing him up for a minute before asking, "Do you wanna color a picture?"

"Of course," Castle answered excitedly. "I must warn you, though, my coloring methods are quite different from yours."

Chloe shrugged, flipping through the book and carefully tearing out a page. "As long as you stay inside the lines," she warned, handing him the picture.

Castle held out his pinky. "Pinky promise," he said, linking pinkies with Chloe. He examined the picture she'd given him. It was of a lamb and a baby goat frolicking in a field. He grinned and reached for the purple crayon. Chloe raised her eyebrows at him, but said nothing.

Castle was putting the finishing touches on his picture when he heard the door to the break room open. Chloe looked up from her coloring book and gasped excitedly. "Mommy!" she squealed, running across the room to whoever had just entered.

Castle stood up, curious as to who Chloe belonged to. His jaw dropped when he turned around and saw Chloe wrapped in the embrace of the last person he'd expected.

It was Beckett.

* * *

><p><em>*Yeah, yeah, I know, big surprise. This is more of an introduction than anything else. More back story will be revealed as the story goes on. Honestly, this is going to be more of a side project than anything else. Lightning Strikes the Heart and Leave Me Breathless are my top priorities right now, but I just really needed to get this out of my head. Reviews are love!<em>


	2. Ray of Light

_*Okay, so I absolutely love that I started writing this story. It's cute, it's fun, and it's HAPPY! Which is more than I can say for Lightning Strikes the Heart…(no worries, that's still priority numero uno) Writing Chloe just makes my day better. Srsly, I challenge anyone to create/write a small child and NOT fall in love with them. Anyway…awkward rant over. On to the chapter! Happy Reading!_

(Beckett)

Kate slumped against the back of the elevator, scowling. Today was just _not _a good day. She'd woken up late and hadn't had time for coffee, there were still no leads on their current case, and Castle…well Castle was just being his normal _charming _self. She desperately needed a hug, and she was getting frustrated at the teeny-tiny part of herself that kinda, sorta, maybe wanted a hug from Castle.

Kate was jarred from her traitorous thoughts by her phone. She pulled it out and answered without checking the caller id. "Beckett."

Her dad's soft laugh sounded in her ear. "Now, Katiebug, is that any way to greet your old man?"

Kate smiled in spite of herself. "Sorry, Dad, what's up?"

"Just calling to let you know that I'm on my way to AA," he said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over traffic.

Kate nodded, stepping off the elevator. "You'll be dropping Chloe off at the precinct soon, then?" she asked, her mood brightening at the thought.

"Nope," he replied, chuckling. "She's already there. Dropped her off about half an hour ago."

"Well, thanks for telling me, Dad!" Kate protested, a grin spreading across her face.

"I sent you a text message," Jim defended. There was a small pause. "At least, I _think _I did…"

Kate laughed. "Dad, do I have to teach you how to use your phone _again_?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Jim said. "Now go hug your ridiculously adorable daughter, got it?"

Kate laughed again. "You don't have to tell me twice. See you later, Dad."

She hung up the phone and set it on her desk, still grinning. Esposito looked up at her, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "Baby Beckett's here?" he asked, excitement tingeing his voice.

"She's asked you not to call her that, Espo," Kate reminded him, smirking.

Esposito shrugged. "I get to see her before you take her home."

Kate ignored him, heading for the break room, where she knew Chloe would be. She opened the door and slipped in quietly, wanting to surprise her little girl. Chloe looked up when the door closed, her face lighting up.

"Mommy!" she squealed, barreling towards Kate. She launched herself into Kate's arms, wrapping her little body around Kate's torso. Kate stood up, placing a kiss to the top of her daughter's head.

"Hey, beautiful," she said, pulling back so she could see Chloe's face. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Chloe nodded, her pigtails bouncing. "Uh huh. I made a new friend today," she enthused, beaming.

"Oh really?" Kate asked. "What's your new friend's name?"

"His name is Richard," Chloe replied. "He's been coloring with me."

Kate froze momentarily, finally noticing Castle standing awkwardly by the table, a pink crayon still in his hand. "Has he now?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow at Castle, who set the crayon down, grinning sheepishly.

"She was in here all by herself," Castle defended. "I thought she could use the company."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Right, Castle. It had absolutely _nothing _to do with you not wanting to help with paperwork."

Castle opened his mouth, but was cut off by Chloe. "Castle?" She cocked her head to one side, looking up at Kate. "Is he the Mister Castle that's your favorite author, or the Mister Castle that drives you insane?"

Kate felt the heat flood her face, deliberately avoiding Castle's eye. She could hear the barely restrained laughter in his voice as he replied. "Both, I think, Chloe. But mostly the second one."

"Um, sweetie," Kate said, setting Chloe down. "Why don't you go say hi to Uncle Javi and Uncle Kevin, okay? I'm sure they'd love to see you."

Chloe nodded happily. "Okay!" Kate held the door open for her, smiling fondly as she watched Chloe skip across the bullpen to Ryan and Esposito.

Kate closed the door, taking a moment to compose herself before turning to face a _very _amused Castle.

"You have a kid," Castle remarked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kate nodded. "Yeah."

He smiled, staring at something through the window. Kate followed his gaze to see Chloe laughing as Ryan and Esposito tickled her. "She's something else," Castle said.

"Yeah," Kate agreed softly. "She really is." She could feel his eyes on her. She looked at him, biting her lower lip. "What?"

"You never told me you have a daughter," he commented.

Kate shrugged, looking down uncomfortably.

"You never planned on telling me." It wasn't a question. "Why?"

Kate looked up, finally meeting his eye. "I've accepted that I'm going to receive a fair amount of attention from this Nikki Heat thing," she said honestly. "I don't like it, but I've accepted it. But what I can't accept, what I _won't _accept, is my little girl being harassed because of it."

Castle frowned. "I'd never let that happen, Beckett. To either of you." He looked at Chloe, then back at Kate. "I've managed to keep Alexis out of the press pretty much her entire life. I can do the same for Chloe," he offered.

Kate gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Castle."

"So, this might be an awkward question…" Castle started after a pause. "And I know it's probably none of my business…"

Kate rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what he was trying to ask. "I don't know who her father is, Castle."

"Oh." He was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay."

Kate sighed, leaning against the counter. "I was twenty-three, just out of the Academy. I was still drowning in my mother's murder. Still trying to escape..." She paused, unsure as to _why _she was telling him this story. "Anyway, I went out with some of the other rookies after work one night. We were all drinking, but I was trying not to drink too much because I had to work the next day."

Kate sighed, collecting her thoughts, and then continued. "There was this one guy that had been asking me out for weeks, but I always turned him down. He bought me a drink. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I found out later that he'd laced it with GHB. I remember going back to the bar to order another round, and then nothing..."

Castle frowned. "What happened?"

Kate shrugged. "Wish I knew. From what I could gather from the group I was with, I left the bar with some random guy around midnight. Next thing I remember is waking up in a fancy hotel room, completely naked and completely alone. So, I got dressed and did the walk of shame. I actually had to go straight to work from the hotel. Not one of my proudest moments."

"Then what?" Castle prompted.

Kate stared through the window at her daughter. "I found out I was pregnant a couple months later. Decided right then and there that I was keeping her."

"Weren't you scared?"

Kate chuckled dryly. "Terrified," she admitted. "But I wouldn't have survived an abortion. Not mentally anyway. And I'd seen enough of the foster care system to put the fear of God in me about putting her up for adoption." She shrugged. "Keeping Chloe was my only option, and it was the best decision I've ever made." She blinked furiously, attempting to hold back the tears that had formed. "Sorry," she muttered. "I just…I don't tell that story a lot."

They lapsed into silence, both of them watching the little girl through the window. After about five minutes, Castle spoke up. "You don't have to be ashamed, you know."

Kate wiped a tear away before looking at him. "What?"

"We all go through dark periods in our lives, Beckett. Some darker than others." He shrugged. "We can't change it. The only thing we can do is learn from it." He gestured to Chloe. "Find the light, no matter how small."

Kate smiled. "Thanks, Castle," she said. "For everything."

"Not a problem, Detective," Castle replied. They were quiet for a few minutes before Castle turned to her, smiling mischievously. "So," he said, smirking. "Favorite author?"

* * *

><p><em>*Ahhh…I love writing this fic. Baby!Beckett is just too cute. I want her to be real. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.<em>


End file.
